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Matthew Jackson
Matthew Jackson was the abusive husband of health visitor Carmel Roberts. He first arrived in the Square in May 1988 when Carmel took him to her flat for a date. Carmel's brother, Darren Roberts, disapproved of Matthew because he was a different skin tone from them. Darren's son, Junior Roberts, who also lived with Carmel, did not approve of Matthew and would often wind him up. By September 1988, Matthew had asked Carmel to marry him. She agreed, and they married in January 1989. However, when Carmel invited Matthew's mother, Lynne Jackson, to the reception against his will, he got abusive with her. Carmel and Matthew's abusive relationship continued until July 1989, when he was stabbed by Junior and hospitalised. He was released a week later and begged Carmel to take him back. Carmel refused though, prioritising the safety of Darren's children. Biography 1988-1989: The abuser Matthew first arrived in the Square in May 1988, after meeting health visitor Carmel Roberts. Following their first date, Carmel decided to take Matthew to her flat and treat him to a romantic meal. Their date night did not go as planned though, as Carmel's brother, Darren Roberts, and his children, Aisha and Junior, were living with Carmel at the time. When they learnt about Carmel's new love interest, they were determined to meet him. Upon meeting Matthew, Darren was instantly disapproving. This was because Matthew was of a different skin tone to Carmel. Carmel's father was not accepting of his daughter dating a white man either, although Carmel stood up to her family, which ultimately strengthened the couple's relationship. In July 1988 Darren fled the Square, leaving his children behind. Carmel decided to take both Aisha and Junior on herself and allowed them to live with her at her flat. This tested her and Matthew's relationship, as Matthew did not want a relationship where children were involved. Realising that Carmel was not going to give Aisha and Junior up, Matthew was forced to choose between ending their relationship or getting to know Carmel's niece and nephew. He chose the latter and began attempting to befriend Junior. However, Junior did not like Matthew and the two seldom got along. Wanting to prove that he could be a family man, Matthew decided to take Carmel, Aisha and Junior for a family day out to London Zoo in September 1988. Whilst they were there, Matthew proposed to Carmel. Carmel accepted his proposal and they wedded in January 1989. The wedding was a success, but when the pair returned to the Square for their reception, Matthew was distraught to see his mother, Lynne Jackson. He ran away upon seeing her and soon learnt that Carmel had invited him. Matthew was furious with Carmel for inviting his mother to their wedding reception without his consent and violently held her against a wall. Carmel was petrified by Matthew's outburst, but quickly forgave him when he showed considerable remorse for his actions. The pair went on their honeymoon together and when they got back, they started to get their marriage back on track. However, the newlywed's happy marriage was short-lived. Matthew constantly struggled with Junior's presence due to the youth's difficult behaviour, which resulted in him punching Carmel in the face one evening when they were arguing over Junior. Carmel received a black eye as a result of the incident, and questioned whether she could stay with Matthew due to his abusive nature. Matthew managed to manipulate Carmel and convinced her that he could change. Carmel believed Matthew and stood by him. Junior quickly realised that Matthew was an abuser and tried to alert people, though he had little success. In July 1989, Matthew's jealousy over Carmel's working relationship with David Samuels took its toll on him. Matthew believed that Carmel was having an affair with David and furiously stormed in on one of the pair's meetings. He dragged Carmel back to their flat and confronted her, although he was quickly apologetic when he realised he had misinterpreted the situation. He begged Carmel not to leave him and told her he was nothing without her. She cautiously stayed by him and he decided to cook her a meal to prove his love for her, but during the meal, Junior referenced a time that Carmel and David met up whilst he was staying away on business. Matthew convinced himself once again that Carmel had been unfaithful to him and lost his temper. Junior refused to leave Carmel's side when he knew that Matthew was going to get physical with her again. He attempted to stand up to Matthew, and stabbed him with a kitchen knife when Matthew lunged for it himself. Matthew was hospitalised and released a week later. He returned to the Square with flowers and an apology for Carmel, but realising that neither herself nor her kids were safe whilst under the same roof as him, Carmel told him their marriage was over. He then left Walford and never returned. Other information *Steven Hartley was the first actor on EastEnders to portray an abusive character in a domestic violence storyline. First and last lines "You never said you had kids?" (First line, to Carmel Roberts) --- "Yeah, but we still can, you've just got..." (Final line) See also *Full list of appearances Category:EastEnders characters Category:1988 debuts Category:1989 departures Category:1989 marriages Category:Residents of 3B Albert Square